Le Monde | • Updated | By
Wind bad for DCNS. The French shipbuilder was the victim of a massive leak of confidential technical information about the Scorpene submarines, buildings for India, Malaysia, Brazil and Chile. The case was revealed Wednesday, August 24 by The Australian which published on its website excerpts of the 22 400 pages of various documents collected. The three documents online would be sensitive but unclassified and would cover the period 2010-2011. The texts include strategic information such as technical manuals and models of underwater antennae. They describe the probes of the vessels, communication systems, navigation. In addition, 500 pages are devoted exclusively to torpedo system, the newspaper said.
According to the conservative daily Newscorp group of Rupert Murdoch, DCNS have suggested that the leak could come from India rather than France. The data could have been blown away outside France in 2011 by a former French naval officer who at the time was a subcontractor DCNS. The documents could have been sold to Asian South East companies before being sent to Australia, the paper said.
When contacted, the public group states that “ a thorough investigation is led by the national safety authorities. “ these investigations will determine ” the exact nature of the documents that were the subject of these leaks, the potential damage to our customers as well as responsibilities. “ customers countries affected by this scandal, such as Malaysia and Chile, each with two submarines, India and Brazil, who have chosen the technology transfer for six and four buildings, unreacted .
Multiple cyberattacks
the fact that these documents arrive in Australia is not trivial, even if the country chose another model of oceanic submarine , derived from the french Barracuda, twice as big as the Scorpene. The case could weigh without question it, the contract of 50 billion Australian dollars, or 34.3 billion euros, awarded on 26 April. Especially that discussions are underway to organize and divide between France and Australia the production of twelve buildings of this next generation of submersible
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the competition was fierce to win the most important history of defense DCNS program between countries and TKMS German consortium Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation. The French therefore provide twelve Shortfin Barracuda buildings conventionally powered and non-nuclear. Sign of the strategic importance of this program, the procedure was punctuated by multiple cyberattacks. According to Australian media, Russians and Chinese would have tried to get hold of the plans of the future submarine.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull acknowledged that this leak was “concern” while relativizing the potential impact for Australia.
“the submarine we build or we will build with the French is called Barracuda and is totally different from the Scorpene designed for the Indian navy, “he has told Australian channel Seven. “We have the guards of our information from the highest defense, either through exchanges with other countries or Australia,” he added.
leak has “no connection with the next submarine program of the Australian government” , said in a statement the Australian Minister for Defence industry, Christopher Pyne. This program “takes place in a very strict framework governing how all the technical information and data is managed and will be managed in the future” . According
The Australian “the benefits of the new submarines (Australian) would be seriously compromised if the data capacity of escaping the same way as the Scorpene.”
“The French people can keep a secret? “
The paper recalls that the French submarine was chosen because it is the quietest. ” If the enemy knows the secret [the submarine] , the game is lost, “ the newspaper, which queries the title:” the French people can keep a secret? “
The daily is concerned about the reaction of the United States because if the building is French, the battle system is provided by the Americans. “If Washington believes that its technology (…) can not be protected, it could refuse to give Australia its most advanced combat system.” The Australian market, also called the “contract of the century”, has symbolic value for the French. “ You see, we do not just sell the Rafale”
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This thinking has flourished among both industrial as the Department of defense, after choosing Canberra. One way to emphasize the dynamism of French arms sales for four years and also to emphasize the technological performance of defense companies. Not to mention the geopolitical dimension which was one of the keys in this competition closely watched by Americans.
Now, Paris is the main naval ally of Washington, the French navy being even become his first partner for operations in the Indian ocean, to the British. This leak case comes at the worst time when other competitions are looming again in India, but also in Norway, Canada and the Netherlands.
Read also: A naval battle monitored by the US
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